I really need someone to convince me one way or another

So I guess I am really looking for good advice guys...here's my situation

My local best buy has a G73-2A on hold for me as we speak...It is no doubt the washed down version for $1,199

I asked the guy over the phone if the specs were on the box and he said no...then he started rambling off the specs..and I said did you get that from your website and he said "ya"

Thing is, I KNOW BEST BUY IS NOTORIOUS for false marketing on the true specs of their systems..(My current gaming laptop in sig FX7805u was one of them)..there descriptions of laptop specs seem to be cut and pasted from another site and you never really know what your going to get until you open it up and check everything in the BIOS etc!

Anyways, here's my dilemma. I Assume the "washed down" best buy version of the G73 they have for me is spec'd as such

CPU-no change here (i7 1.6-2.8)
GPU-no change here (5870M 1 GB GDDR5 DX11)
so correct me if I am wrong, virtually everything is the same except for the below.

RAM- 6 GB DDR3 @ 1066??<-dont know (not 8 GB @ 1066) I can add the extra 2 later right?
RES- 1600x900 (not 1920x1080)
HD- (1) 500GB HD @ 7200 (instead of 2)

So please correct me if I am wrong but the only real "washed down" difference is the amount and speed of RAM, 1 less hard drive, and the lower res right? Plus, I think having a lower res of 1600x900 will give me at least an extra year of maxing games at native res that 1920x1080.

I am really asking for your opinions on this...reason im going best buy is because they are the cheapest and have payment plans. Is this washed down version really "washed down"????? doesnt seem like it to me but I want the experts opinions...and thats you guys...oh and if anyone actually owns this version from best buy give me your input PLEEAAASEEE....THANKS!!!!

 

These are the differences that I know of

• 1600x900 res screen instead of 1920x1080
• 6gb ddr3 1066 instead of 8gb ddr3 1066 (yes you can upgrade)
• 1x 500GB HDD instead of 2x (yes you can upgrade)
• 2 speakers + subwoofer instead of 4 + subwoofer
• 1.3mp webcam instead of 2.0mp webcam
• No bluetooth
• No bag & mouse
• 1 year warranty instead of 2 years + 1 year accidental

But yes you'll get the same CPU and GPU so performance would be the same. In games performance would be better because of the lower res screen.

See this thread. I kind of made it for people like you

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=471323

 

Really annoying that performance is the same, but you get a lesser laptop..

 

Thanks alot bboy1- thats great info. I def. dont care about bag or mouse or warranty or bluetooth or webcam (which seems to suck anyway) or 1 less hard drive or having 2 instead of 4 speakers...

All I care about is KNOWING that Im getting the same CPU and GPU and RAM (speed not actually 8 vs 6)..so the CPU bus and cache and everything is the same and the RAM speed of 1066 is the same? Stuff like that..dont want any surprises liked a dumbed down or underclocked GPU and CPU and RAM thats all...

Oh also..it seems the BB version does not come with the OS discs etc...Is it recommended to do a complete reformat as do these BB versions come with a lot of bloatware? I usually like to do a reformat, but not if I am going to have issues trying to get normal stock drivers etc...and Im not sure how Il do a reformat if they dont include the discs????!!! Any advise?

 

Well, you can have the people on here give you an attitude and tell you to explore the far reaches of the internet for drivers like they told me!

I'm still hoping someone here will load the Driver/Utility disc up on a torrent soon..... probably wont happen though

I was in the same boat as you and grabbed the Best Buy model. I didnt need the 1920x1080 screen, i didnt need the bluetooth, and the extra 2gb of memory is something I can upgrade later. This machine is freakin' fast.

 

The HDD has a partition on it with the default brand new settings. If you want to reformat I guess all you would have to do is press F9 during boot.

 

Thanks...so have you kept the existing OS as of current and just uninstalled some bloat or...?? Can you confirm that everything performance wise is the same? (spec wise- CPU/GPU/RAM is 1066? etc..) How about the 1600x900 res? I read a complaint about the viewing angles..?? How bout the 2 speakers (instead of 4 and this prolly doesnt matter to me as I hook it up to external but just curious? How many USB ports are there? Thanks

Oh, and hows the cooling system? Looks like a great new design..intake by the speakers and keyboard and The CPU/GPU having their own dedicated heatsink and fan and exhaust port.

 

The CPU+GPU+mobo are exactly the same. And even if there was a ram spec difference, you would never see the difference.

 

If you're going to be using the machine for gaming primarily then 6gb is already overkill. 1600x900 is also great for gaming. It's a bit weak for a 17" desktop replacement, but hey, if you are not doing anything that takes up a huge amount of desktop space (like video or photo editing) then the lower resolution should be fine.

 

I'm not 100% sure about the BB version having only 2 speakers but I'm assuming they do. On the BB specs page it says it has HD 4.0 but 2 inbuilt speakers. On other reseller pages though, it says the A2 has HD 4.0 and 4 inbuilt speakers.

Asus did a similar thing with the BB model of the G51 which I have. It has 4 physical speakers, but only 2 have sound coming out of them. Meanwhile the more expensive G51J's had 4 working speakers.

 

The ASUS site says in the specifications tab the G73JH has 2.1 audio only. That sounds like (no pun intended) all G73JH models. Here's the link. Also, the image on page 2-6 of the G73 Series Notebook repair manual shows only two speakers.

Same goes for the supposed "array microphone" that I've read elsewhere. A true array microphone would have multiple microphones, each requiring it's own hole, the G73JH has one hole to the right of the webcam.

Admittedly I haven't spent a afternoon looking over websites, but all I ever see is written specifications, but no images of the 4 speakers or the array. Maybe the 4 speakers and array microphone was an early design specification that didn't make it to market or was very limited?

 

Ok guys so I sold my FX 7805u and am going in to pick up the BB version today.

Seems like the only issue this model has had so far was a faulty GPU on random units.
After purchase, I would like to open the unit in house and check the components/make sure it is what it says it is and try to find any flaws. My guy at best buy said that would be fine.

So WHERE (specific location) do I look for total specs? I want to view RAM/CPU/GPU/HD yadda yadda. I want to make sure the RAM is 6GB DDR3 1066 and the CPU and GPU are the real deal. Where can I locate these specs rather quickly (msconfig?)

Also, As best buy does not offer the OS disc, what are my options for uninstalling bloatware and "cleaning it up"? What programs should immediately go and what tweaks should I do? It will be primarily for gaming, surfing web and music. Heard something about deleting a supplemental audio driver as it has issues with the realtak? Things like that.

Last question, sorry I am anal and repetitive...the main differences with the best buy version are..

1. 1600x900 res instead of 1920x1080 (better for me for gaming/future)
2. SAME TYPE OF RAM? just 6GB DDR3 1066 instead of 8 DDR3 1066?
3. 1 500GB @7200 HD instead of 2?
4. no bluetooth
5. no bag or mouse and lower warranty

Miss anything? Thanks I plan on doing a full review for you guys

edit: just read over my post, what I meant by bloatware, is I obviously would love to do a fresh reformat but will not have the OS discs! So what are my next best options at getting it close to a fresh reformatt? Like are the original drivers for all components good right out of the box? What programs need to go asap! I dont mind cleaning the crap out of it ; ) Any tips/advise? Thank you soo much!

 

Device manager.
Get rid of all the BB crap they slip in there.

 

Thanks IKAS- that was kind of general though ; (

How about typing "dxdiag" in the run option? That should display most specs right?

 

Any help on my last two posts? Thanks
(sorry I am going to pickup in a few hours and want to know my stuff!)

 

Bring a thumb drive with CPU-Z and GPU-Z, that should give you some idea what's inside.

As to cleaning out the bloat, see my sig for what I consider the essentials. Go into Programs and Features and just remove everything else.

 

I just picked up my $1200 G73 from Best Buy yesterday and mine had DDR3 1333 in it. I checked with CPU-Z first, then I pulled the cover off and confirmed by the stickers on the ram. (Actually, I was installing my SSD.)

 

Good 4 u .. mine are 1066 .. oh well

 

So is a complete reformat really necessary? I guess im wondering how intrusive the bloatware Best Buy/Manufacturer has on there is? I wont have the Win7 OS disc as Best But doesnt included it, or any drivers/utilities, so I guess I dont have an option !!!: (

My question is, besides uninstalling the obvious programs/bloat in the add/remove control panel...what needs to be done to optimize this machine? Meaning, are all the stock drivers fine? When I bought my FX 7805, the stock drivers from best buy were amazing and not one issue in 12 months of gaming! So I am wondering, what needs to be deleted and/or changed in terms of bloat and harware drivers etc...IF ANYTHING?!??!

Thanks

 

From what I've read, removing the Creative EAX software solved problems for people gaming on this machine.

I have a fresh install because of my SSD but I don't think re-installing is neccessary. Just get rid of all of the crap.

Mixed reviews of 10.3 Catalyst drivers. Personally I haven't had any problems with them and I've been playing BFBC2 maxed out for 6+ hours straight.

 

Thanks Thauch- quick question (to anyone)

I am used to running CPU-ID Hwmonitor to moinitor my CPU/GPU/HD. (on my old FX 7805)

I read the G73 is not compatible with Hwmonitor. What tool may I use that is real time, simple and accurate/compatible with the G73 to view these temps (primarily just CPU/GPU/HD)? Is there one that displays them all like CPUID Hwmonitor did? Thanks!

 

No, but I felt better knowing that orphans weren't scattered about the drive on a new machine.

On my X1, the factory bloatware was bad enough. There was more there from the factory than you could put back having the discs.

I think the stock drivers are fine. See my sig for a list and description of what gets installed.

 

Do we have any frame-rate comparisons between 1600x900 and 1920x1080? I'm interested to know the real world difference.

 

Just got it..using it now...How do I turn on the lighting for the keyboard?

Also, where can I check to see if the RAM is 1066 or 1333?

 

Also, I am looking to install and AV and Avira Antivirus will not install? Is it not compatible or something?

 

Presuming the drivers are installed, there are four stages (off, low, medium and high). Use the following key combos to adjust:

Fn+F3 = Lower
Fn+F4 = Raise

Keep in mind that if you have turned off the keyboard and other lights with the button that's above left of the keyboard, it will not turn the keyboard lights back on when cycled. I'm thinking bug, but what can you do.

One way is the SPD tab in CPU-Z. Another way would be to open the trapdoor and read the label on the RAM.

Don't know, I use the one mentioned in the link in my sig.